South Shore native is singer/songwriter for Girls, Guns and Glory

Ruth Thompson

Friday

Mar 1, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 1, 2013 at 1:02 AM

After playing in venues across the United States and Europe, taking home four Boston Music Awards, including the 2011 ‘Americana Artist of the Year,’ being nominated for a 2012 New England Music Award, in addition to performing the National Anthem at a New England Patriots game, what does a band do for an encore.

After playing in venues across the United States and Europe, taking home four Boston Music Awards, including the 2011 ‘Americana Artist of the Year,’ being nominated for a 2012 New England Music Award, in addition to performing the National Anthem at a New England Patriots game, what does a band do for an encore.

If it’s the Boston-based band Girls, Guns & Glory, the next step is to work on their upcoming album, and start preparing for another extensive tour.

“Somewhere in between all the touring we’ll have to find the time to release the new album,” said Ward Hayden, singer/songwriter for the band. “But I’m confident it will be out by September or October of 2013.”

Girls, Guns and Glory will be doing a lot of regional dates in the U.S. over the next few months.

This includes a gig on Saturday, March 2 at the South Shore Folk Music Club in Kingston.

Hayden, a Scituate native and 1999 graduate of Scituate High School, said he started the band about six years ago when he was living in Scituate.

“What began as an informal project to record a few original songs has grown into my full-time occupation,” he said. “It all started at Noise in the Attic Studios in Scituate. That was where we really discovered our sound, and recorded three of our albums.”

He described Girls, Guns & Glory as a “retro rock ‘n’ roll country band.”

“My twist on things has been to further blend the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll and country music,” he said. “We like to think of it as rockabilly with a modern edge.”

Musical influences, he said, are the old country and rockabilly musicians: Johnny Horton, George Jones, Wanda Jackson, Moon Mullican, and Johnny Cash.

“There is a primal element to early rock ‘n’ roll that captures you at beat one,” he said. “And there is so much emotionalism in good country music. I’m not talking about ‘Red Solo Cup’ country, but real classic country. It’s truly a different genre.”

He said his biggest songwriting influences are Hank Williams and Chuck Berry.

“They both were able to say so much and convey so much thought, humor and emotion in just a three-minute song.”

It has been a “real inspiration and challenge to do anything in their footsteps,” Hayden said.

Hayden said he has done his best to blend the tug-at-the-heart-strings element of country with the raw power and energy of early rock ‘n’ roll to forge the sound of Girls, Guns & Glory.

“Our influences are deeply imbedded in our original songs, and especially our live shows,” he said. “That’s when we get to throw in some classic country covers and pay homage to the musicians who brought these sounds to the public.”

A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in socio-cultural anthropology, Hayden said he does not have a background in music.

“I thought I would pursue a much different career path,” he said.

It was a “stroke of pure luck” that he met Rob Loyot, who runs Noise in the Attic Studios.

“I actually met him through a house painting job,” Hayden said. “He had been in the music business for awhile and helped me realize that music could become a career. I just needed the right direction.”

The band has garnered much critical acclaim and Hayden said the recognition has been really great.

“The band worked incredibly hard, especially the last two years,” he said. “We’ve been performing over 200 shows each year in the U.S. and Europe, which meant a lot of time on the road and traveling.”

Girls, Guns & Glory was recently nominated for the Folk/Roots Act of the Year in the New England Music Awards. “Lots of other great acts are nominated this year as well,” Hayden said.

Gillette Stadium

Another milestone was playing the National Anthem during a Patriots game last fall.

Hayden called the experience “really an honor.”

“It was our first time performing the National Anthem, so singing it in front of a crowd of 65,000 people was a thrilling way to start,” he said.

The New England Patriots and Robyn Glaser of the Kraft Group have been very good to the band over the years, he said.

“For a guy who grew up loving the Pats, getting to perform at Gillette felt like winning the lottery.”

One of the “coolest moments” was when the on-field producer led him into the stadium about 20 minutes before than National Anthem.

“Before I knew what was happening, I was running down the tunnel with the team as they were yelling, hollering, jumping and stomping to get psyched up for the game,” he said. “There I am, dressed in a suit and all of 5-foot-8-inches, running with the team onto the field. It was pretty surreal. Then I had to sing.”

Over the past year the whole band has been working collectively to arrange the songs and have been taking a larger role in studio production, according to Hayden, and everyone is very excited to begin work on the band’s fifth studio album.

“We’re making it in Brooklyn, New York with our friend and producer Eric ‘Roscoe’ Ambel,” Hayden said.

Ambel has worked with Steve Earle, Joan Jett, and The Bottlerockets, among others.

“Eric really understands the sound we are going for on the new album, which leans more towards rock ‘n’ roll than any of our previous albums. And he himself is such an accomplished musician, we’ve really been enjoying getting to learn from him as a songwriter and as a musician.”

Where the heart is

Despite all his travels, there is one place Hayden said he makes a point to return to – Scituate.

He said he still has family here and when he’s home from the road he said he tries to visit at least once a week.

“Scituate has inspired more in my songwriting than any other single factor,” he said. “With the newest batch of songs for the new album there are a few songs written specifically about growing up (in Scituate) and the people I’ve known from the town. Even when I come down for just one night I leave inspired, or it brings back memories that cause me to pick up the guitar and write a song.”

He was recently featured on WATD’s “Almost Famous” show.

“It was a great way to connect and catch up with fans and friends here on the South Shore,” he said.

As for his music career, Hayden said there are elements of both recording in the studio and performing live that he enjoys, his true love in music is the live show.

“The live show is real and raw and spontaneous,” he said, adding that at this point in their career, the band spends the bulk of their time on the stage and performing.

“It’s been a very wild ride to get to learn so much on the stage in front of an audience,” he said. “And it’s always changing, developing and adapting. As long as you’re heart is in it, I think the live show is where it’s at.”

Girls, Guns & Glory will take to the stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 at the South Shore Folk Music Club, 222 Main Street, in Kingston. Tickets are $20. All ages are welcome.

They will also be performing at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1 at Grumpy’s Pub, 29 Locust Street in Falmouth.

For more information on Girls, Guns & Glory, and to follow their touring, recording and traveling adventures, visit them at www.girlsgunsandglory.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/girlsgunsandglory

For more information on the New England Music Awards visit www.nemusicawards.com/vote/